The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1887-09-08
A CAROLINIAN IN UTAH.
SALT LAKE CITY AND THE NOR
MONS.
sentinel Mau, Who has Been There,
Gives Glimpses of Life in the Land
of the Chatter Day Saints.''
PART.II.

oI tHt iIdIIeF Lay SdAHtS.
PART.II.
Before describing the Mormon
ion some of its buildings. The Tab
ernacle is built in an octagon shape
with self supporting roof and wilA
seat 1000 people, and cost 100000.
The Temple, which has been III course
Of erection for he last twenty years,
is being built Of Utah marble in an
octagon shape and will have selfsup
porting roof and a seating capacity of
over 5000. Notwithstanding that the
walls are only about half finished, it
has already cost 81, 900, 900 and it is
estimated that it will cost $21 100000
when completed. These buildings are
in Salt Luke City. Here is also the
tomb cf the Mormons' great Prophet,
Brigham Young, which is walled up
with blocks of granite ten feet thick.
Over the top of the tomb is placed an
immense marble slab, weighing seven
tons. The tomb is guarded night and
day by the Mormons, for fear that
some one Will steal the body of their
dead president.
The heads Of the Mormon church
are one President, twelve Apostles and
as many Bishops as there are cities,
towns, and villages in the Territory
| the President has complete control of
all the affairs of the church, both spir-
itual and temporal, he is supposed to
receive divine revelations and laws to
| be delivered to the chuach for her
| guidance and protection. Anything
emanating from him is believed as
devoutly as we believe in Holy Writ,
and lived up to much better than
most professed Christians fol- the
teachings of the Gospel The lale
president, John Taylor, was the hiss
band Of eighteen wives. The Church
has erected handsome residence for
the president, and Immediately oppo-
site this large residence, called the
"Bee Hive containing some sixty or
seventy rooms for the use of his wives
and children. The Manor house,
which is the name of the Presidents
residence, is generally occupied by his
favorite wife, which is always the
youngest one.
The duties Of the twelve Apostles
are to consult with the President on
all matters appertaining to the good
of the Church. The Territory is di-
vided into twelve districts called
Stakes and each Apostle has jurisdic-
ton over one, SUBJ jected only to the
approval of the President The Apos-
ties are generally the husbands of
from five to fifteen wives and have
their residences for themselves and
wives similar to those Of the President,
only on less pretentious scale.
The Bishops reside, one in each city,
town or village, and the municipal
and church affairs are under his COM
plete control, subject to the Apostles,
and President. Each town is divided
into wards and the Bishop has as
many Counsellers as there are wards.
The duties Of the Counsellers are to
consult the Bishop on all matters in
regard to the church, see that the tith-
ings are paid promptly, and report,
daily, any neglect OF any person liv-
ing in his ward, to pay fittings, or
live up to the Lars f the church.
!
the husbands Of more than one wife, as
the church does not think anyone
should be honored by holding oihce,
who does not follow out the revelat-
ions, claimed to have been given to
the founder, Joseph Smith, in regard
to the plurality of wives. Each town
has its tabernacle, in which services
are held twice every Sabbath, but no
Sunday School, as they do not believe
that children should be educated 10
any great extent.
Every male in the Territory is a
soldier, each town has its company OF
soldiers, the counsellors being lieuten-
ants the bishop captain the apostle
commander in his Stake, and the
president commander in-chief Night
ly, after honest folk are in bed, the
companies will meet and drill, They
are as thoroughly disciplined and
drilled as any regular soldiers in the
United States Army. In twenty four
hours the president could have assem-
bled in one place nearly every male
Mormon in Utah, with arms in his
hands, ready to do his bidding.
Every man, woman and child in
Utah Territory has to pay into ahe
treasury of the Mormon Church, one.
tenth of every thing they raise, OF
make. The poor woman washing al
the tub, earning her dollar a day, as
religiously pays her ten cents, as most
Christians say their prayers. Ier
chant, or professional man must give
one-t tenth of all he makes to the church
let it be great or small the farmer 8
tenth of all he raises, not excepting
even his garden vegetables; the miner
tenth of his silver or lead, that he
may by hard labor aud perseverance,
succeed in taking out of mother Earth
When the vast resources of Utah Ter
ritory, both mineral and agricultural,
are considered, and the immense
amount of money that is poured intc
the treasury, by merchants and pro
fessional men, you can form some ides
of the tremendous revenue that pourl
into the Golfers of the church every
year, and you can understand why i
is, that the masses of the people arr
, poor, and the leaders of the church
immensely wealthy, how one man cal
! afford to support twenty wives. II
former years Gentile's life was IN